Not too long after we were married, my wife handed me a handwritten note, which I assumed, in my newlywed bliss, would be a poem of sweet nothings. Instead, it was a list of things like, “To-Do List (1),” “Writing List,” “Shopping List,” “List for Store,” “To-Do List (2),” and so on. It was a list of all the lists I had lying around the house.
This bit of sweet satire served a good point: I needed to get more organized in my list-making. And I think about this every holiday season when I’m trying to come up with my Christmas wish list.
Staying organized in your Christmas wish list making will help you remember to put down what you want and need while making it easier for other people to find what you want and need. In short, it helps you get what you want and need.
Organization is always good. It makes sure things get done. That’s why we want to share our best Christmas wish list ideas so you can make this holiday season a success.
Our Best Christmas Wish List Ideas
We live in pretty amazing times where you can make a wish list composed of items from virtually anywhere in the world. This is way better than in, say, the 1950s, when you were limited to what you saw in the department store window. Or the 1850s, when, hopefully, a traveler once told you a tale of a sled and you knew a man who could build it from blueprints drawn from your imagination.
That’s not to say there aren’t challenges nowadays. The two big ones are:
- Making sure you find exactly what you’re looking for.
- Making sure other people can find what you’re looking for without having to click around every site on the internet.
Those might not be as daunting as the absolutely accurate sled story from above, but they do demand organization. That’s why we recommend you look for an online wish list generator with the following features:
- Provides a way to centrally organize your list. You might have a lot of items with a lot of links. A shared document could work for this, but it’s also filled with drawbacks. The best option is to build your wish list on a site or app that allows you to easily share it with your loved ones.
- Lets you pick from the world’s top retailers. With all the options available to modern consumers, you want a wish list that can include items from multiple websites, whether it’s an online giant like Amazon or a brick-and-mortar store like Nordstrom. This works better than having a bunch of wish lists, one from each store.
- Makes it easy to add to a list. Did I find something? Yes. Do I want it? You bet. Should I be able to add to my list with one click? Darn skippy. That’s a crucial feature.
- Allows others to buy directly from a list. After all, if they can’t buy it right from your list, you’re not making it easy on them. Plus, items will be marked as “bought” so no one will buy the same thing.
- Offers a search function. If you’re like me, you hate having to really hunt around when you want to make your wish list. I want a great search feature that lets me find what I want, whether that’s games or clothes or something related to Alice in Wonderland.
- Lets you filter by theme. I have a Book List for my book club members. I have an In The Kitchen List for friends we have over for dinner a lot. I have a Clothes List just for my family. Shopping with gift guides can really streamline your shopping experience and makes it easy to organize your wish lists. This is also great if you are having a work Secret Santa party with a theme.
- Offers multiple ways to add items to your list. If you’re out shopping and see something you like, you should be able to add it to your list with text or take a picture and add it to your list on mobile. That way, you don’t miss anything.
- Makes it easy to control who sees your list. You might have more than one list, like for work or school or family. You have different price ranges and different things you want to show people. So, use a site that lets you create multiple wish lists and restrict who can see what.
- Is mobile. Your list should travel with you for maximum convenience.
For the best chances of keeping everything organized, look for a wish list generator that incorporates all of these features.
The Benefits of Being Organized
I talked to a few of my friends who have used my organization tips over the years. I asked them about the results they had, and each of them swore by using an electronic wish list maker.
After all, the holidays can be stressful, and both shopping for others and making your own list can be challenging. That’s why it’s a great idea to look for the easiest possible way to make and share wish lists.
When you use these Christmas wish list ideas, stress goes down. Happiness goes up. I could keep writing about how happy you’ll be when shopping is easy and getting what you want is guaranteed, but that’s a list you already know.
Want to make sure you get what you want and need this holiday? Use these easy Christmas wish list ideas to stay organized. The Elfster Secret Santa generator makes it simple. Start a Wish List today, and don’t forget that you can now add items via an iPhone app or Android app.
